Hand-Hooked Cowboy Bronco Folk Art Rug — Patriotic Stars, Signed BT

A mid-20th-century hand-hooked pictorial textile built on a coarse woven foundation, centered on a rearing red bronc and hat-waving rider worked in dense looped pile against a deep black field. Scattered through the field are hooked cattle-brand devices and a radiant sun motif in cream, with the maker's initials "BT" hooked in red at the lower right. The composition is framed top and bottom by red panels carrying stepped geometric medallions and bands of blue stars on cream over red stripes, bordered by serpentine zigzag rows.

Continuous looped guard borders in gold and ochre run the full length of both sides, and the reverse is finished with folded cotton tape binding over the foundation. The bold Western iconography, full-coverage hooking, and signed field mark it as a hand-worked folk-art piece intended for display, equally suited to floor or wall.

CONDITION

Fair. The bold design reads strongly and the central field retains full looped pile, but there are several areas of wear concentrated along the top, including thinning loops and a worn-through spot exposing the foundation. Additional flaws include frayed and loosened binding tape at an upper corner and light soiling to the cotton foundation visible on the reverse.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Height × Width: 65 × 27 in.
• Era: Mid-20th century
• Form: Rectangular hooked textile (vertical orientation)
• Construction: Hand-hooked looped pile
• Foundation: Coarse woven ground (burlap/cotton)
• Edge binding: Folded cotton tape (reverse)
• Side borders: Looped gold/ochre guard rows, full length
• Signature: "BT" hooked in red, lower field
• U.S. Quarter (0.955 in. Dia.) Shown for Scale